The Miami Dolphins take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 7 in what is maybe the most anticipated game of the year so far.
Both teams currently hold a 5-1 record on the season, aiming to be the frontrunners for the top seed in their conferences. While the regular season is far from over, this game could shift the momentum one way or the other.
There are always multiple interesting storylines leading up to such a key matchup. Here are four of them surrounding this primetime meeting.
History of matchup
The Dolphins and Eagles franchises will be facing off for the 16th time on Sunday. Miami currently leads the matchup with a 9-6 record against Philadelphia.
This will be the fourth primetime matchup of the two storied organizations, Miami having won two of them.
The only other Sunday Night matchup between the two teams came in Week 14 of the 1990 season. Hall of Fame Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team past Philadelphia in a 23-20 overtime thriller. This win gave the Dolphins their 10th win of the season.
Being in different conferences makes this matchup rarer. There hasn’t been a Super Bowl matchup between Miami and Philadelphia despite both franchises having multiple trips to the big dance.
Judging from the talent on both rosters, this season may be the best chance for a Dolphins-Eagles Super Bowl. Could Sunday night be a preview of what is to come in February?
Potential season altering game
Both the Dolphins and Eagles are among five teams to hold a league-best 5-1 record on the season. The winning team guarantees themselves to be at least tied for first place in their respective conferences. While the losing team risks falling a couple spots back in the standings.
Despite the success through six weeks, both teams have had their fair share of questions of whether or not they’re as good as their record says they are.
The Dolphins have taken the league by storm with their explosive offense, including a 70-point demolition of the Denver Broncos in Week 3. However, they haven’t had a difficult schedule up to this point. The combined record of teams they’ve beaten is 5-24. Miami doesn’t have a victory against a team with a winning record.
Facing the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field would be the signature win the Dolphins need to show they’re true Super Bowl contenders. Miami had a similar test in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills. What could’ve been a statement win on the road for Miami ended up being a 48-20 blowout in Buffalo’s favor.
The Eagles’ schedule has been significantly tougher. However, this would still be the biggest win for them thus far.
Philadelphia is coming off of a loss to the New York Jets and can ill afford to lose a second game in a row if they hope to keep up with the San Francisco 49ers at the top of the NFC.
The Eagles and 49ers both went into last week with 5-0 records and lost. Philadelphia, San Francisco and Detroit now all sit tied at the top of the conference with 5-1 records.
Philadelphia’s remaining schedule appears to be the toughest out of the three top NFC teams.
Over the next six weeks, Philadelphia has to play Kansas City (5-1), Buffalo (4-2), San Francisco (5-1), and the division rival Dallas Cowboys (4-2) twice. The importance of Philadelphia getting off to this mid-season stretch with a win over Miami can’t be overstated.
Former Alabama QBs face off for first time
Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have a storied history as teammates on the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2017-18.
Hurts was the starter at the time of Tagovailoa’s true freshman season. Because of Tagovailoa’s arm talent, it was clear he was the future of Nick Saban’s offense which featured multiple elite skill players.
In one of the most exciting college football championship games ever, Saban made a quarterback switch at halftime with Alabama down 13-0 to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The freshman Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes leading Alabama to a comeback victory in overtime. He remained the team’s starting quarterback before entering the 2020 NFL draft where he was taken sixth overall by the Dolphins.
However, Hurts didn’t give up on playing quarterback at the NFL level. He transferred to Oklahoma for the 2019 season. He put together an outstanding campaign for the Sooners, silencing critics who doubted his arm talent by throwing for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns to just eight interceptions through 14 starts. He also totaled 1,298 rushing yards with 20 additional touchdowns.
Tagovailoa discussed the meaning of the key matchup when asked about his former teammate.
Tua Tagovailoa on the meaning of this matchup against the Eagles and facing former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts. pic.twitter.com/je5zdfGGFo
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 18, 2023
The Dolphins and Eagles both came into this season with high expectations of their quarterbacks to take them to championship heights.
Tagovailoa leads the league with 1,876 passing yards through six games, averaging over 300 yards per game with a 114.1 passer rating. He is tied with Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins for the most touchdown passes (14). Tagovailoa currently appears to be one of the top candidates for MVP.
Hurts, on the other hand, hasn’t quite played up to the standards of being ranked third on the NFL’s Top 100 list. While he’s continued to prove himself as a physical threat that’s key in the Eagles’ rushing attack, he’s left much to be desired in his passing game this season. Hurts has thrown seven interceptions through the first six games which equals the number of touchdowns he’s thrown.
Hurts is coming off a game against the Jets where he threw three interceptions. His third interception came late in the fourth quarter which was quickly turned into a Breece Hall touchdown to give New York the lead and the eventual 20-14 win. He’ll certainly be motivated not to repeat the same mistakes against Vic Fangio’s defense.
Two dominant backfields
The Dolphins and Eagles are currently the top two offenses in rushing yards through the first six weeks of the season.
Miami’s offense has featured two of the most elite running backs in the NFL, Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane. Mostert leads all running backs league-wide with 11 touchdowns, nine rushing and two receiving.
Achane has totaled 460 yards and seven total touchdowns, five rushing and two receiving. He’s remarkably posted these numbers while only being a major part of the offense for three games. The Dolphins will miss his production against Philadelphia’s defense which ranks second in the NFL by allowing just 65.8 yards per game.
Mostert will have to shoulder the load of the rushing attack once again in Week 7 which he’s proven capable of doing.
The Eagles’ rushing attack has a different style, but it’s also prolific and should be at the top of Vic Fangio’s mind heading into this matchup.
Hurts has continued to be a threat out of the backfield with 253 yards and five touchdowns on the year. It’s almost certain the Eagles will utilize the “tush push” on key fourth-and-1 plays.
In addition to Hurts’ production, the Eagles acquired running back D’Andre Swift during the offseason in a trade with the Detroit Lions. Swift is on pace to have his best statistical season with 452 yards on 5.3 yards per carry. He’s also an established threat in the passing game.
The running game will undoubtedly be key to moving these offenses forward. The better rushing attack will be able to control the tempo of the game and win time of possession, keeping their defense off of the field.
